The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-08

yantageously covered by artillery, and
the former supported BY gunboats in
the James river.
To those familiar with the facts, the
blame Of Lee for allowing Burnside to
escape from the "tight place" in which
be was after the battle OF Fredericks-
burg can only provoke q smile; but
for such as may take Gen. Wolseley as
authority, what he calls tight place"
will be described.
The town OF fredericksburg is on
the aouth side OF the Rappshannock
river; wide plain extends behind the
town to q commanding ridge. On this
ridge Lees force was advantageously
posted. On the north side OF the river,
and near to II, Is the bold range known
ss Stafford flights. Here Burnside
had assembled his formidable army,
while farther up the river was Hooker
with arother army. Burnside, alter
serious opposition, crossed the river
and sttscke1 Les in position. Not
withdrawing his numerical superiority
and the bravery of his troops, he was
repulsed, and recrossed the river on
the pontoon bridges he had provided.
On the nights Of Stafford, wi h numer-
GUS batteries commanding the plain on
the south side Of the river, the pontoon
bridges acrots which were his own,
and an army, though It's losses were
heavy, yet larger than the force oppo-
sed to him, his position might well be
called slight" in different sense from
that which the censor, in ths guise OF
eulogiet, uses the word.
Enough, perhaps, has baen shown
to answer TIE criticiem, but from the
abundance OF material may be drawn
the fact that Hooker's army was ia
supporting distances OF Burnside on
the north, and as Lees army was con-
fronting both to prevent their advances
Bouthwad, he could not wisely have
placed one wing Of his army beyond
supporting distance Of the other, or
engaged in an enterprise, even II
feasible, which would conseq uenty
expose the country be was defending.
Lse was always daring, but never
reckless of the lives of his men, and
he fought, not for self glorification,
but for the safety OF his country and
the success OF its cauee. A charge
against him for risking too much
could be better sustained than for
over caution snd the neglect OF op.
portunities. He seldom had an oc-
casion where the odds were not
against him, and recollect oncs be-
ing present at conference when a
bright and well educated soldier began
to calculate the chances of a proposed
movement with pencil in hand, but
Lee, smiling, told him to put his
pencil up, for II Eve go to cyphering
we sba'l be whipped beforehand"
l had almost forgotten that the sup
posed failure to pursue and prevent
the escape Of the enemy Was attributed
to the want Of q thoroughly good
staff" but how the staff, without
fresh troope, would pursue and pre-
vent the escape Of retreating enemy,
hiss not been explained. "Indoc.i
discant." Perhaps the process Is like
that Of the Iriahman who brought in
four prisoners and accounted for the
capture by saying he surrounded
Them"
In the same vein OF disparagement
OF the officers OF Lees army, and in
apparent ignorance OF the fact that we
had other armies, that forces were en-
bodied in the several States to be cent
to different parts of the Oonfed eracy,
and that he had general stsff, with
ms officers Of rare ability and large
experience, at the had Of depart
ments OF organization, as well as OF
supply, Gen. Wolseley writes:
"Those who know. how difficult It is Ia
supply our own militia and volunteer forces
with efficient officers con appreciate what
difficulties Con. l. 60 had to overc0me in the
formation OF the army he so often led to vic
tory. He had about hum able assistants who,
like himself, had received an excellent mil
itary education at West Point. To The in
experienced soldier it is no matter Of sur
PRISE, but to the general reader II will be OF
interest to know that on either side in this
war almost every general whose, name will
be renembe IN the future had been edu-
GATED az that military school, and had been
trained in the old regular army Of the Unit
ed States"
That elementary education in the
science OF war is great advantage to q
general, is q proposition not to be de.
nied, but native endowment is,
think, more essential requisite, and
in his army, as well az in others, we
had generals not taught a. West
Point" or trained in the old regn ar
army # the United Sta ee," whose
names will oil be rememb ered as long
al the traditions OF our war shall last,
or its history be read. 1t is surprising
that one should Lave visited Lees
headquarters and in free conversation
not have heard OF Gordon and Hemp
ton and Breckenridge snd Rhodes and
Colt end Taylor ana Hope AID Ashley
and Bsrkedsle, and n any others who
came from civil life, and by distin.
guished service won the commission
of general. Should the army t the
Southwest and that OF the trans. Mis-
sissippi be included, the litt would be
very large.
The most attentive listener, or care
less reader of the annals OF our ar,
might be supposed to have lea ned of
the extraordinary efforts in Missouri
ard Kentucky to preserve their au.
tonomy. Shall Price and B)wen, and
Little, and johnson, and Morgan and
Hanson be for9otten2 Shall not the
deeds of Forrest and Mccullough be
remembered While there shall be
reunions OF Confederate soldiers these
and other names will be pivotal points
around which the camp fire reminis-
Censes will gather, and in the more
distant future he household words in
the traditions OF the past.
Gan. Lee, al known TO those who
had been his friends from you h to
aga, was not lCquscious or prone to
volunteer his opinions upon general
subjects, and thus it sppsnrsthat Gen.
Wolaeley must have been in the part
of mind reader, rather than lietener,
in some OF his citations. There is one
jnttanoe, which it eems we'll to notice.
Lee il reported TO have declared that,
had he owned every save in the
South, he would willingly give them
all up If by so doiug he could preserve
the Union" BY changing the last
word from "Union" into "Coatederacy,"
the sentence will correspond with
what Gen. Lee said to othere, and
stated when before a committee of
the Senate, to whom WAS referred
T.. 4,